Month: August 2015

If you are a lover of wine and cheese then you must drop by Milk the Cow and check it out. How can anyone resist such a catchy name? It proudly states that it’s the first late night cheese shop and stays open as late as 1am on Friday, and Saturday and late most other days. They stock over 150 cheeses from around the world and have an ever changing selection. You can order cheese takeaway or sit and pick from the many cheeseboard combinations they offer, you can also pair it with a boutique wine from their wide selection. If you’re feeling overwhelmed they offer cheese and booze flights where they have already carefully chosen a set of cheeses and drinks to match. Don’t like wine? They have cheese flights for beer, cider, whisky and even sake! The cheese flights and cheesemonger boards change every Tuesday so if you’re a cheese lover like myself you know you’ll be experiencing something different each time you visit.

Baked Camembert and Mac’n’cheese

However not only do they offer a great selection of cheeses, if you’re feeling a little hungry you can also order the cheese fondue, baked Camembert or Mac’n’cheese with a twist. By now you’ll notice that the theme is cheese! There are two locations, we went to the one located in St Kilda but there is also one located in Carlton.

When we arrived recently on a cold Friday night it was buzzing inside so we set ourselves up outside which was fine as they had heaters to keep us warm. Once we were seated, we were served complimentary glasses of mulled wine which I thought was a nice touch. Since I’m a die-hard cheese lover, I was so excited and overwhelmed when the menu was placed in front of me. I just wanted to order everything! Common sense took over so our party of 5 decided to settle on the Creme de la crop cheeseboard which consisted of their very best and rarest cheeses with Spanish quince paste, muscatel clusters, freshly baked bread and housemade lavosh. We also ordered the baked Camembert and Mac’n’cheese with Perigold truffle oil and Courvoisier VS cognac. Oh, and of course we got a couple of bottles of red. The cheeses from the Creme de la crop cheeseboard were exceptional and the hot dishes hit the spot for the cold day. Overall a great experience and will definitely revisit when I’m craving some good cheese with a glass of wine, or two!

I absolutely love cheese popcorn. Ever since my first packet of cheese popcorn in primary school, I’ve been hooked! Throughout the years I’ve eaten numerous brands of cheese popcorn, and I’ve also seen these brands come and go. It reached the stage where it was getting extremely hard to even find a packet of cheese popcorn in my local supermarket. I had almost given up hope on finding good quality cheese popcorn until I accidently stumbled into Thomas Dux Grocer on Bridge Road, Richmond, Melbourne.

Sitting on a big shelf inside at Thomas Dux Grocer were an assortment of Cobs Popcorn. I had never had Cobs Popcorn before. The packets proudly state that it’s all natural and nothing artificial. The packaging was also beautifully presented and genuinely looked like a premium product. Whilst the packaging looked good, I was quite skeptical of how good it would taste because cheese popcorn was generally full of colouring and flavour enhancers. Nice tasting popcorn with no artifical colours and flavours? SIGN ME UP!

I quickly snapped up a packet of cheddar cheese flavour, and got back to the car. I handed Helen the car keys and told her I needed a moment to try out this popcorn. She wasn’t overly happy about having to drive but this cheese popcorn needed my undivided attention. I opened the packet and was greeted with a pleasant cheddar cheese aroma. I popped one in my mouth, the crunch and flavour was just perfect! This was the cheese popcorn I’ve been waiting for all these years. Now I’ve tried Garrett Popcorn before, which many claim to be the best popcorn in the world. Whilst the initial 20 popcorns or so were really nice, the cheese flavour simply got too intense for me after that. Also I found myself needing to drink a considerable amount of water afterwards.

The Cobs cheddar cheese popcorn was nothing like that though. Each popcorn is perfectly coated with just the right amount of seasoning and definitely not too salty at all. It was enjoyable from the first to the last popcorn. Also because it’s all natural, I didn’t find myself scrambling for water afterwards from thirst. Another important thing which I’ve noticed with Cobs Popcorn is the low ratio of unpopped corn kernels. I’d be lucky to find 1 or 2 unpopped corn kernels whereas with some brands you’d literally find at least 10-20, no exaggeration! It’s never a nice experience biting into an unpopped corn kernel so I’m extremely happy with Cobs Popcorn’s quality control.

Whilst I am biased towards the cheddar cheese flavour, all their other flavours taste just as good! I highly recommend the sour cream and chives and nacho cheese flavours also. Helen’s personal favourite is the slightly salted, slightly sweet flavour. Whichever flavour you choose, you can’t go wrong with Cobs Popcorn. You can pick up the 100g packets for around $3.50 AUD to $4.50 AUD depending on where you shop. The Cobs Popcorn website has a list of stockists.

Alternatively just order from their website for $3.50 AUD each as they also offer free delivery (Within Australia and minimum purchase of 6 packets). My advice would be to purchase them off the website and enjoy with a good movie at home. I am also guilty of sneaking a packet or two into the cinemas… =)

Ahoy there – poached eggs, house cured salmon topped with hollandaise served on a potato roesti

If you live around the South East Bayside area and you’re looking for a good brunch place without having to travel into the city, The Parlor Milkbar & Kitchen is worth the visit. I often sleep in pretty late on the weekends which normally means I wake up with my tummy growling and begging for food straight away. The Parlor is a short drive for us which means a faster satisfied belly! It is open for breakfast and lunch daily and for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Staff are super friendly and very welcoming. On our most recent visit there were no more seats inside however staff were more than happy to turn on the gas heaters outside and give us a couple of blankets if we were happy to sit out on the outside deck. With the heater and blankets we were pretty toasty warm. I usually order the Ahoy there which has poached eggs, house cured salmon topped with hollandaise served on a potato roesti. The house cured salmon is super fresh and the potato roesti had the perfect crispiness to it. The servings are also quite generous.

My husband ordered the baked eggs with house baked beans, chorizo, fetta and sourdough which is always a favourite. Order it if you are exceptionally hungry as it is very filling! The coffee is great too and there are a selection of cakes available inside which you can peruse at your pleasure if you’re after something sweet. We have also tried items from the lunch and dinner menu and they are also exceptional. The roast chicken, quinoa, broccoli, grapes, mixed leaf, goat’s cheese and almond salad is a favourite of mine. The combination of ingredients makes it a high quality, tasty dish.

So if you live in the area or do happen to be around, do drop by!

Baked eggs, house baked beans, chorizo, fetta and sourdoughThe decor is clean and modern and includes a fireplace inside to provide that touch of cosiness.

During our trip to Copenhagen we were quite keen on trying out Nordic cuisine and so of course had our eyes set on one of the best restaurants in the world, Noma. Unfortunately there were no bookings available at Noma for the 3 nights that we were in Copenhagen so after some quick research we came across Höst who also specialise in Nordic cuisine.

For those of you who don’t know, Nordic cuisine is based around developing traditional Scandinavian dishes using ingredients from the local regions to promote the production and consumption of natural and fresh produce. In addition, older techniques are used in developing the dishes such as smoking and salting.

Although Höst may not be listed as one of the best restaurants in the world and has no Michelin stars to it’s name, it has built up an impressive number of positive reviews. Upon entering the restaurant you instantly receive the warm and cosy feeling from the dark wooden decor and warm dimmed lights. The menu is designed simply so that you can pick from a number of three course fixed menus which you can combine with wine pairings or you can also choose from their a la carte menu. The dishes had very special flavours which you would not normally come across however somehow worked when placed together.

As Denmark is quite expensive in general, it is also very well priced compared to other restaurants in Copenhagen with the Höst Signature Menu of 3 courses costing approximately $80 AUD and wine pairing at $60 AUD. We were also given quite a number of complimentary dishes in between showcasing their produce. Staff knew the menus well and were very switched on. Overall, it was a lovely Nordic experience and I would highly recommend!

About Us

Hello! We’re Helen & Davin from Melbourne, Australia. Welcome to our blog! A few things we love most in this world are food, travelling, our family and of course our cat Sky. Whilst Sky may not have an appreciation for good food, nor travelling to the vet, we love to travel and enjoy the finest foods locally and internationally.